The Bahá’í Faith teaches that science and religion must be in agreement. Therefore, Bahá’ís look to both science and the Writings of The Bahá’í Faith in order to better understand the nature of addiction. Current science establishes that prolonged misuse of mind or mood-altering substances (including the misuse of both prescription and non-prescription drugs and/or behaviors such as gambling and pornography) cause imbalances in brain chemistry that can have long-lasting negative effects on our mental and physical health. The Bahá’í Faith teaches that we are primarily spiritual beings. It is through focusing on our spiritual nature (our relationship with God, and developing our spiritual attributes such as generosity and kindness) that allow individuals to positively affect the world of humanity and achieve individual well-being and happiness at the same time. As an addiction develops, we increasingly focus on the object of our addiction and true happiness and well-being become harder to obtain. Furthermore, focusing on our addictions causes us to develop such negative traits as selfishness and dishonesty and inadvertently hinders our own spiritual development. Subsequently, humanity as a whole is negatively affected. In order to reverse this process and overcome our addictions, Bahá’ís are encouraged to utilize both spiritual and therapeutic resources, such as prayer and 12-Step programs.
This section of the website will be dedicated to exploring addiction through the Writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith, as well as guidance from its institutions, which explore the spiritual nature of addiction, associated laws, and possible methods to assist in recovery.